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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

THE WISDOM OF ... Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell



Happy 45th Birthday Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell!! 


In the Champ's honor, posting another in my "The Wisdom of ..." series with extracted tips from his book, Iceman:  My Fighting Life.


Liddell writes in his book:


I didn't just wake up one day and decide I could be a UFC champion. I worked toward it every day of my life, even before there was such a thing as the UFC. All I ever wanted to do was make a living fighting. It didn't have to be professionally. Before becoming a UFC fighter I was working in a dojo and as a bartender. I could have done those two things forever. And if I had written a book about that kind of life, except for the fights themselves, most of it wouldn't be all that different. Every chapter in this book features a lesson that helped me become who I am in and out of the cage, from the time I learned to box when I was three years old to the days both of my kids were born to the night that Rampage knocked me on my butt. You may finish this book and not remember one detail of my life—although I’m sure you’ll be telling your friends some stories. But at the least, if you rip out the table of contents and carry it with you (after you buy the book), you’ll have the road map that helped me become the light heavyweight titleholder. And the lessons apply whether you’re studying for the SATs, sitting in a cubicle hating your boss, or training to be a UFC fighter.


So here are the Table of Contents which are also the Life Lessons that helped The Iceman become Champion! If you would like to understand any or all of the Lessons, buy and read his book! Also, along with the TOC, there some other tidbits/tips which I've included.


Enjoy!





  1. GET THE F**K UP
  2. LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER
  3. KNOW YOUR STUFF
  4. BE WILLING TO LEARN
  5. WHY? ’CAUSE SCREW THEM.
  6. DON’T ALWAYS FOLLOW MOM’S ADVICE
  7. NO COWERING, NO SCOWLING, JUST STARING
  8. PRACTICE WHAT YOU LOVE
  9. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ANYONE
  10. BEING MENTALLY TOUGH IS NOT A SOMETIMES THING
  11. SIZE DOESN'T MATTER
  12. TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
  13. YOU’RE NEVER TOO TOUGH TO SHOW THE LADIES YOUR SENSITIVE SIDE
  14. THE MORE YOU MOVE, THE MORE SOMEONE HAS TO TRY TO KEEP YOU STILL
  15. APPRECIATE RISK
  16. NEVER LET A LITTLE THING GET IN THE WAY OF MAKING A BIG THING HAPPEN
  17. A FIGHT’S A FIGHT, NO MATTER WHERE IT IS
  18. BE ABOUT BEING THE BEST
  19. TURNS OUT MOJO DON’T PAY THE BILLS
  20. IF YOU DON’T FIGHT, YOU DON’T TRULY KNOW IF YOU CAN WIN
  21. ALTITUDE TRAINING IS BULL
  22. REGULATION IS GOOD
  23. WITHOUT ANY SUBSTANCE, YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ANY STYLE
  24. TO LEAVE NO DOUBT, YOU'VE GOT TO KNOCK A GUY OUT
  25. LOYALTY IS EVERYTHING
  26. FORGET PLANS AND EXPECTATIONS
  27. LOSING AS A MAN IS BETTER THAN WINNING AS A COWARD
  28. YOU CAN WORRY ABOUT LOSING, OR YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
  29. IT NEVER PAYS TO MOUTH OFF
  30. NEVER LET ’EM BREATHE
  31. IT’S NOT ABOUT STRENGTH, IT’S ABOUT STRENGTH OVER A LONG TIME
  32. WHEN YOU GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A GOOD TIME, YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE IT
  33. WHEN YOU'VE GOT A GUY DAZED, KNOCK HIM OUT
  34. PATIENCE DOES PAY OFF
  35. HAVING A GOOD CHIN COMES NATURALLY
  36. YOU NEED TO BEAT SOMEONE OVER THE HEAD TO GET WHAT YOU WANT
  37. WE’RE FIGHTERS. A LOT OF US HAVE ISSUES.
  38. SOMEONE UP THERE HAS A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR
  39. IF A GUY SAYS HE’S READY, HE’S READY. WHO AM I TO SHOW MERCY?
  40. A MOHAWK ENHANCES YOUR COMMERCIAL APPEAL
  41. REVENGE IS PRETTY DARN SWEET
  42. YOU CAN’T WAIT TO FINISH A GUY
  43. SCREW IT. RETAKE IT.
  44. IT’S A PRETTY GREAT LIFE WHEN YOU MAKE IT DOING WHAT YOU LOVE
  45. NEVER CHOKE ANYONE OUT UNLESS YOU’RE GETTING PAID FOR IT
  46. YOU HAVE TO STAY CHILL WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE BRIGHTEST
  47. GET THE F**K BACK UP





HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF WHEN YOU’RE ON YOUR BACK:

 The best way to protect yourself from your back is to duck your head and hold your opponent. But the main thing is to be working to get up and be offensive on the bottom. That is your best defense. Because if a guy is trying to stop you from getting up, he is not hitting you or setting you up for submission. Always be moving from side to side and hip to hip.




HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF WHEN YOU’RE STANDING UP:

Elbows in, hands up, chin down.


MY THOUGHTS ON HOW TO THROW A KNOCKOUT PUNCH:

Knockout punches are about timing and accuracy as much as power. Knockouts happen from catching a guy in the right spot at the right time. But, if you do that and don’t have any strength behind your punch, you’re wasting an opportunity. It’s all hips and snap, a lot of practice and twisting. I've been working on it since I was twelve. Some say knockout punchers have it in their genes. I do think it’s a fast-twitch muscle thing, but you have to practice. It starts with a good stance. You need staggered feet so you can stop takedowns and kicks, too. You have to stand wider than a typical boxing stance, which gives up a little on the power, but if you are on your back and can’t throw punches, what’s the difference? Then twist your hips as much as you can; imagine if you didn't have a spine and were trying to twist all the way around. The arm means nothing; it can come from any angle. It’s all about the power you generate in your hips.




MY TYPICAL DAILY MEAL:


  • Cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast
  • Sandwich for a snack, turkey and cheese in a pita
  • Pasta with chicken and mixed vegetables for lunch
  • Protein/carbohydrate shake Chicken with rice and broccoli for dinner





HOW TO LOOK MENACING:

I never had to try to do this. If I’m not smiling, everyone thinks I’m mad at them. But it’s natural; If I look at someone serious, I look mad.




HOW TO BEHAVE LIKE A GROWN@SS MAN:

You've got to take care of yourself. I’ll look for my buddies when it’s time to go, give them fifteen or twenty minutes to come back to where we were hanging out or for me to find them. But that’s it. After that, you’re on your own. You’re a grown-ass man, okay? Get home by yourself. We’re not holding your hand.




CHOOSING A TATTOO THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU:

Make sure it means something to you. I always thought it was silly that people walk in and say I’ll take that right there and they are pointing to a little thing in a book. I’m not trying to stop people from making a living, but it should be something that means something to you. Put it wherever you want, but make it matter.




For other Chuck Liddell-related entries you may have missed:




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